Joe's trip to Serbia

Back in late May/early June, I was able to lead a team of believers in to Serbia to coach, play, and teach baseball to youngsters in schools - all while sharing the Gospel and our personal testimonies with all Christ allowed the opportunity for.  Although going caused me to be away on Lindsay's birthday, it was an amazing opportunity to share who Christ is, and who Christ is in me, with Serbs.  Serbia is a beautiful country filled with wonderfully warm and friendly folks. 

Therefore, these pictures are long past due.  As you know, our lives have been turned upside down twice since I returned from this trip.  So here are a few of the pictures I have from my trip to Serbia.

This is Chris Coombs, he is a man of Christ who spent the past two years in Serbia with his wife.  He has returned from the field and is coaching and teaching HS science in Missouri.  He played baseball in college and was this year's head coach of the Serbian national team.  

I was able to conduct one of the first softball clinics in Cacak, Serbia.  Here I was pitching BP.

This picture was taken in Belgrade, a very interesting city.  They built up an island in the middle of the city that has sports fields, beaches, and a bunch of fun.  

Here is our team after on of our games.

While in Belgrade, we got to visit Kalemagdan park, which has been built on the remains of an ancient fortress.  It is very cool, and Partizan Sports Club has some of their facilities inside the fortress.  While there, me and some of the team (particularly young Aaron) ran wild like little children - climbing walls and hiding in dungeons and other such shenanigans.  

This man was awesome!  He spends his day with his cart in the park making hand-carved gifts for tourists.  I had a very long talk with him as I watched him work, as I was mesmerized by his craftiness.  He lived in New York for a few years and was a very big fan of W, which should come as a shock to our liberal media.  

While in the Serbia countryside, we were able to spend half a day climbing a mountain to see the view and visit an Orthodox monastery.  Here are some pictures of some of our adventure.

Here is a picture of me and a couple of the Serbs we worked closely with for the majority of our trip.  They are great guys and also young believers, praise Christ!



This is a typical Serbian home, at least outside the major cities.  They are humble homes, but the flowers and the warmth of the people make them beautiful.

Also while in Serbia, I was able to help coach one of the football clubs.  It was a lot of fun, and I would compare them to an average high school JV team in Texas.  

Last, but not least, check out the kicker's hairstyle!

Bye for now, but not for long we hope!